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| The Sleeping Doll: A Novel (Kathryn Dance Novels) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeffery Deaver
Publisher: Pocket Star
Category: Book
List Price: $9.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (77 reviews)
Sales Rank: 17148
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 608
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 4.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 0743491580
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780743491587
ASIN: 0743491580
Publication Date: May 20, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
When Special Agent Kathryn Dance -- a brilliant interrogator and kinesics expert with the California Bureau of Investigation -- is sent to question the convicted killer Daniel "Son of Manson" Pell as a suspect in a newly unearthed crime, she feels both trepidation and electrifying intrigue. Pell is serving a life sentence for the brutal murders of the wealthy Croyton family in Carmel years earlier -- a crime mirroring those perpetrated by Charles Manson in the 1960s. But Pell and his cult members were sloppy: Not only were they apprehended, they even left behind a survivor -- the youngest of the Croyton daughters, who, because she was in bed hidden by her toys that terrible night, was dubbed the Sleeping Doll. But the girl never spoke about that night, nor did the crime's mastermind. Indeed, Pell has long been both reticent and unrepentant about the crime. And so with the murderer transported from the Capitola superprison to an interrogation room in the Monterey County Courthouse, Dance sees an opportunity to pry a confession from him for the recent murder -- and to learn more about the depraved mind of this career criminal who considers himself a master of control, a dark Svengali, forcing people to do what they otherwise would never conceive of doing. In an electrifying psychological jousting match, Dance calls up all her skills as an interrogator and kinesics -- body language -- expert to get to the truth behind Daniel Pell. But when Dance's plan goes terribly wrong and Pell escapes, leaving behind a trail of dead and injured, she finds herself in charge of her first-ever manhunt. But far from simply fleeing, Pell turns on his pursuers -- and other innocents -- for reasons Dance and her colleagues can't discern. As the idyllic Monterey Peninsula is paralyzed by the elusive killer, Dance turns to the past to find the truth about what Daniel Pell is really up to. She tracks down the now teenage Sleeping Doll to learn what really happened that night, and she arranges a reunion of three women who were in his cult at the time of the killings. The lies of the past and the evasions of the present boil up under the relentless probing of Kathryn Dance, but will the truth about Daniel Pell emerge in time to stop him from killing again?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 72 more reviews...
 action twisty twisty twist and more action August 17, 2008
Ms. Dance is a "human lie detector" who works for California's version of the FBI. So, when an unsolved murder involving a mass murderer behind bars hits her desk, she has Daniel Pell (the murderer) brought to a prison near her (why not go where he's already incarcerated, you ask? -- Don't!). This percipitates a fiendishly complicated escape plot that is executed perfectly and then the chase is on with Dance trying to understand what Pell is doing while he outsmarts her at every step. The bodies keep piling up as Dance is always almost catching Pell and more and more devilish twists come up.
For a mystery thriller there does not seem to be much mystery as we follow Pell through the book and know that he is the main subject. However, this is definitely a thriller and the pages keep turning and the book cannot be put down. Just when you think the plot is getting ready to be resolved, you learn of some new twist and turn - reading the other reviews here, I note that this is vintage Deaver.
I was completely taken in by the plotting and the twisting and certainly never expected the two major plot twists that came up at the end of the book. One was acceptable to me and had me rooting for Deaver for having come up with such a delightful thing, the other one I did not care for. I will not write what they are as they will ruin the book for others.
Of course, this kind of thriller requires you to suspend reality completely. I mean, what is the reason for Dance not to go interview Pell in the super-secure prison that holds him? Why bring him out to a different facility where he manages an escape? Even more baffling is exactly how smart and up to date Pell is. He frequently manages to pre-think the scrapes he will be in and have prepared for them well in advance. Also, even though he has been in prison for almost a decade, he manages to know exactly which locations to drive to that are completely deserted to perform various nefarious deeds. Dance is always a step behind until the very end of the book when the obligatory shoot out takes place.
So, a great summer or airplane read and I highly recommend it for that purpose.
Master of Twisty Suspense Strikes Again August 13, 2008
I've been a fan of Jeffrey Deaver for quite some time now and have read several of his novels. The Sleeping Doll is one of his best yet, delivering action, suspense, and the surprise twists that Deaver has become known for. Kathryn Dance (first introduced in the Lincoln Rhyme novel The Cold Moon: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel (Lincoln Rhyme)) has quickly become one of my favorite characters and her specialty of kinesics is a fascinating one. Deaver specializes in combining technical knowledge and compelling personal traits, forging eminently believable people. California Bureau of Investigation Agent Dance is charged here with capturing escaped murderer/cultist Daniel Pell, himself a well-drawn, intelligent criminal, who specializes in bending weak-minded people to his will, as well as leaving a trail of carnage. Dance must use her own knowledge and insights to try and stay one step ahead of Pell, whose motives remain a mystery until the end. She's also a single mother with two kids, one of whom is having issues with her dating again after the death of her husband. These personal details never seem forced or unwelcome in Deaver's able hands, but make for a complete picture of each of his characters.
Everything readers have come to expect from Deaver is on full display: the building suspense, the intricate plot machinations and surprises, and very human characters. There's even an interlude with fan favorites Amelia Sachs and Lincoln Rhyme, if only via phone conversation. Kathryn Dance makes for a very intriguing new heroine and I look forward to Deaver's next novel featuring her. An excellent read, highly recommended.
 Very boring, anticlimatic ending August 8, 2008
The book started off with a bang but had a very boring and anticlimatic ending in my opinion.
Terrific Return to Form July 28, 2008
A secondary character from the last Lincoln Rhyme novel takes center stage in this very satisfying thriller that finds Jeffrey Deaver back in top form. Maybe it's the left coast setting, but the author is back to basics in this vibrant offering. Even those of us who know how he springs his tricks on readers will be blindsided a few times. The villain here is very compelling but not super-human as some in the recent Rhyme books have been. And some of the dramatic scenes with the surviving cult members have a tense dramatic feel to them and are some of Deaver's best writing. Maybe the book's a little bloated in length but a welcome comeback.
Sleeping Doll July 23, 2008
This book kept you interested up until the final paragraph, trying to second guess everything that happened. It was great - just as everything else by Jeffrey Deaver.
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